Where did the saying come from if pigs could fly?

There have been many mentions of flying pigs throughout history, and there’s some argument about the origin of the idiom “when pigs fly.” The most general consensus is that the term originated either in Germany or Scotland, as there are plenty of examples of its use as a way to describe something that is physically …

What does the expression if pigs could fly mean?

Definition of pigs might fly —used as a response to something that seems unlikely to happen “This time I think he’ll ask me to marry him!” “Yeah, and pigs might fly.”

Can pigs actually fly?

Easter revellers in Australia’s biggest city are discovering pigs really can fly. Easter revellers in Australia’s biggest city are discovering pigs really can fly.

Where did the term piece of cake come from?

Something easily accomplished, as in I had no trouble finding your house—a piece of cake. This expression originated in the Royal Air Force in the late 1930s for an easy mission, and the precise reference is as mysterious as that of the simile easy as pie.

Is it possible for humans to fly?

Humans are not physically designed to fly. We cannot create enough lift to overcome the force of gravity (or our weight). Their light frame and hollow bones make it easier to counteract gravity. Air sacs inside their bodies make birds lighter, which enables smoother motion through air.

Has a cat got your tongue?

‘ cat / cat’s got your tongue: an expression that is used when someone is quiet and isn’t talking or responding when you expect them to. Notes: It isn’t clear exactly where this idiom originated but it’s obvious that it would be difficult to speak if a cat did get your tongue!

What does the idiom when pigs fly mean?

When pigs fly. The idioms of this page are used to indicate that something is highly unlikely ever to happen, or that it will never happen. This phrase is thought to come from an old Scottish proverb.

What is the meaning of Flying Pig?

Flying pigs!”. An identical phrase, used to express impossibilities, exists in Romanian, Când o zbura porcul, literally meaning “When the pig shall fly”; an equivalent also implying an animal is La Paștele cailor, literally: “on horses’ Easter”.

What does it mean when pigs fly?

The phrase “when pigs fly” (alternatively, “pigs might fly”) is an adynaton—a figure of speech so hyperbolic that it describes an impossibility. The implication of such a phrase is that the circumstances in question (the adynaton, and the circumstances to which the adynaton is being applied) will never occur.

What does when pigs fly means?

“When pigs fly” is an adynaton, a way of saying that something will never happen. The phrase is often used for humorous effect, to scoff at over-ambition. There are numerous variations on the theme; when an individual with a reputation for failure finally succeeds, onlookers may sarcastically claim to see a flying pig.